About the Slideshow

Lately we have been rather inundated by cool rainy days- good for the garden, but kind of "wet blanket" on outside fun. But yesterday the rain slowed down to "spotty" as they say in Ireland. The newly on-the-mend Buddy and I went out for a stroll 'round. His first real effort since the second trip to the animal hospital. He was snoofing everywhere and the tail was wag, wag, wagging. And I took my camera to capture the lush green and the beauty of freshly cleansed plants. The birds were out in abundance on snack patrol for themselves and their young. There are house finches in the garden birdhouse so we stayed away. But the birdsong cheeping and trilling is lovely this year. Lots to do, inside and out, but a nice diversion just the same.

And in the category of "thrifty seminarian" the wicker is a cast off set I repainted with outdoor paints with plastic pebble bathmat seat covers. Many of the plants have been from friends and neighbors. And soon there will be Maxwell House Coffee can luminarias, once they are painted, in time for a test drive before LC#2's backyard fiesta in August. And hopefully the raised bed will produce yummy organic veggies for the family. And this will be my sanctuary from CPE in less than two weeks.

There in God's Garden

I love to create and watch things grow, and I find that my time in the garden is a time with God. Every year I am ready to clean out the flower beds sooner than I should given our weather. In the spring I emerge from the winter doldrums and get started with all of the prepping that needs to happen for the gardens to flourish. I have come to view my flower gardens as a mirror of the people in a congregation. Some things require pruning. Without pruning they will not thrive nearly as well. But I hate pruning because it is hard to get rid of something that is expanding – it seems almost counterintuitive. But without pruning the plant’s energy becomes diffused and is less productive. In the long term, the plant will become tangled or weighed down under all of its efforts. This happens at church when we do not periodically come back to analyze the core of our mission. A good idea goes off in many directions and people add things on along the way, but sometimes we need to step back and say, “ Do we still recognize what we were doing?” Has too much institutionalizing weighed down the program? Are we trying to do too many things at once and are spreading ourselves too thin? Like the plant, are we about to burn ourselves out? So careful pruning must happen.

I have a beautiful patch of white violets. I discovered them as a little clump behind a tree at the back of the property. I carefully dug them up and planted them in a shady spot that I would see and where they could grow more fully. Very enthusiastic plant. Overly enthusiastic. Took over one whole side of the property. Unfortunately, the ferns and hostas were not particularly thrilled with this arrangement. The violets were choking out their ability to rise up and grow. The violets show up first and, without being reminded that they share this space, the ferns and hostas would wither up and die in spite of their own efforts. The violets need limits. Eager, perky, hard-working, but they chase all of the other members of the community away. There are people like this at church too. They don’t just help with something, they own it. They intimidate without even realizing it. They scare off the less outgoing but equally dedicated types. They need to have their energy channeled so that everyone can be a part. Because eventually every year, the violets die back and the only thing that would be left is barren dirt but for creating a space where they can coexist.

Some plants need just the right place to thrive. Finding that place may be a process of trial and error. Patience and nurturing. But you have to know the plant to find where it will be happiest. Reading the tag is not enough. The answer may come over a few seasons, not in an instant. Oh, there will be some plants that just take off right away, but many others that need just the right combination to fit in. When people become a part of our community of believers, some jump right in, while others lay back. It takes time and getting to know them in order to come to a consensus of where they will thrive, what they feel called to be a part of. There is not a sure fire way to discern this. But if you try to make a plant grow where you want it, without considering whether the plant will do well there, you end up with a dead plant. It withers away. So too, if we try to pigeonhole people into our needs without allowing them time to explore.

Sometimes plants are too much of a good thing together in one clump. They need to be divided and spread around. So it is with us, we need to step aside from the “same old” and explore new people and roles in our community. We can certainly stay in the tried and true, but eventually we, and our congregation become rootbound and stuck.

And then there are the weeds. They are always there, growing when nothing else is ready, and going gangbusters when the rest of the garden is wilting and tired. When we are worn out and tired, or weary of our daily walk, this is when the seeds of discord settle in and take root and choke out all of our potential. Gossip, playing favorites, power struggles, mistrust, all can sap the strength of who we are and who we want to be.

So thank God for the compost! For the fertilizer that allows us to be nourished, rejuvenated and strengthened. When we do not get fed, even the best laid plans go stale, lie fallow or stunted. When we fail to care for ourselves, when we fail to pray, and to worship, to experience the joy of fellowship, and to be an active part of the community , we miss out on the fertilizer. And in my own garden I can always tell when my own self-care is lacking. Everything is wild and wooly. I realize that things have started to bloom and grow, or die off, without my noticing. I need to slow down, get my hands dirty, and listen. Some of my best rejuvenation happens in the garden. And when I sit down and listen to everything that benefits from God’s garden, and watch things at work, I can marvel at the Creator who puts it all in motion.

It is hard to love some of God's creatures

All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all. But I could do without cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, slugs and mosquitos. I know my garden could concur. As a part of the "boy, we should economize since I am not working anymore because I am going to seminary" I decided to restore the garden. We bought our house 15 1/2 years ago ( which I can always remember because I was pregnant with Lutheran Chick #1). The prior owners were outstanding gardeners with labeled plants, compost system, and they proudly gave me all of their planting journals ( which I have lost-please do not tell them!). Our first year, I was pregnant and then had a newborn and was somewhat overwhelmed by rhubarb, asparagus and strawberries which sprang forth, and which I was ill equipped to tend. I learned a little over two years until Lutheran Chick #2 was born. Now I became intent on organic gardening, no chemicals, lots of work and I tended a full garden for a few years ( the fact that I had two Lutheran Chicks running in the backyard made it easy.) I repaired fencing, put down landscape fabric in the walkways and hauled major stone in for the paths. But then, as they got more active and friends with pools started calling, well, I confess that the garden went to pot. And it was depressing to discover that as the landscape fabric did what biodegradable material does, the weeds and everything just got out of hand way before I could make headway. Two years ago, I decided a smaller garden and total weed killer spray was the answer, and out came rotting fence, volunteer trees, major chemicals ( for which I apologize to all the little hoppy toads that may have died) and it lay fallow. It helped that while I was doing all of this ripping out and pillaging, Lutheran Chick #1 was in England, Ireland and Wales, flying to London the week of the bombings. Last year I decided to turn the garden into my own little sanctuary, Key West colored spray paint on old wicker chairs, I installed a pond, and planted lots of perennials, and set up nifty bright colored birdhouses. This was a great way for me to recover from my uncle's self-inflicted death. It was peaceful ( except for the voles eating under some of the plants.) I tried to encourage the voles to leave, but when that did not work, I confess I looked for a more permanent solution. So now here we are, and I really should save money by growing my own veggies. What to do with the flower garden and pond? Container gardening! Which has been a pretty good idea. Critters cannot get into the pots, scatter them amongst the flower beds and pond, easy to tend. Life is good. But the cucumber beetles are really trying my patience and the strength of my organic insecticidal soap. The slugs really want my plants too. Mosquitos-need I say more. Which brings me to Japanese beetles. My neighbors have the Bag-a-bug trap, but on the way there, beetles are stopping at my place, and I just should not have to interrupt date night to pick my tomatoes and beans. I know I posted earlier about Forgiving and I had the death penalty issue in mind, but I really am having a hard time with these creatures, and my self-imposed ban on chemicals. But hearing my beloved spouse tell me "Go get 'em killer" as I march forth with the sprayer, is a bit much. Tomorrow the camp taxi leaves to take Chick #2 to Whale Camp in New Brunswick. Have a great weekend!